Do-it-yourself Baconfest: 13 porky dishes to try this month

All three sessions of Baconfest were sold out at UIC forum, with 4,500 guests and more than 160 restaurants partipating. Ed Reiser, the "Bacon Man" for the Hampshire, Ill. smokehouse, said during the Friday night event they served 30 pounds of bacon. Those attending brought canned goods or monetary donations for the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Embark on a do-it-yourself Baconfest adventure with these 13 pork-filled dishes.

Not satisfied with just two days devoted to bacon-on-absolutely-everything, the organizers of Baconfest have unofficially declared April "Bacon Month" this year. That means if you can't make it to the UIC Forum for the smoked-pork-apalooza that is Baconfest on Friday or Saturday (or just prefer not to shell out the bacon for tickets, which cost $100-$200), you can still try some of the dishes being served at the fest. These 13 restaurants—all fest participants—offer a taste of what's in store, and you can find even more options online at baconfestchicago.com/bacon-month.

Bacon durito with warm bacon salad at Nana3267 S. Halsted St. 312-929-2486Price: $7Order it: April 11-18At this Bridgeport restaurant, executive chef Jeremy Kiens makes his own version of duro, a Mexican snack food with an airy texture and crunch similar to a chicharron, using bacon fat-fried whole wheat flour. The bites are topped with a mix of house-smoked bacon, red onions, avocado, roasted bell peppers, cilantro, lime juice and salsa-infused vinegar.

Duck fat dog at The Duck Inn2701 S. Eleanor St. 312-724-8811Price: $12Order it: Through April 18Chef/partner Kevin Hickey's take on the Chicago-style hot dog–with a bacon kicker–features a sausage made from a mix of duck meat, duck fat and beef that's wrapped in bacon and topped with cheese sauce, pickled jalapeno, calabrian chili relish and a crunchy "instant pickle" made from submerging a cucumber in pickling liquid overnight.

Bacon-green garlic sausage at Two1132 W. Grand Ave. 312-624-8363Price: $14Order it: Through April 18The West Town restaurant's focus on housemade sausage is on display with this dish made from bacon, berkshire pork and green garlic, served with apple salad and herb vinaigrette.

Bacon-wrapped rib tips at Porkchop941 W. Randolph St. 312-733-9333; 1516 E. Harper Court 773-493-9333Price: $10Order it: Through April 19Available at the barbecue joint's West Loop and Hyde Park locations, the dish features pork rib tips wrapped in smoked bacon. Each bite is flash-fried until crispy and served on a skewer with housemade barbecue sauce.

Bacon durito with warm bacon salad at Nana

Bacon durito with warm bacon salad at Nana

Bacon-wrapped shrimp at Whisk2018 W. Chicago Ave. 773-252-9060Price: $8Order it: Throughout AprilWhen in doubt, wrap it in bacon, right? That philosophy holds up with this dish, which features four shrimp stuffed with pepperjack cheese, enrobed in bacon and served with mango salsa. Bonus: In honor of Bacon Month, the Ukrainian Village restaurant is also giving the Greater Chicago Food Depository 20 percent of the proceeds from sales of The Ron Swanson ($18), a half-pound burger wrapped in a pound of bacon and topped with bacon mayo.

Pork belly at Celeste111 W. Hubbard St. 312-828-9000Price: $14Order it: AnytimePart of the River North bar's current dinner menu, this dish features pork belly served atop grits and baby carrots covered with honey-poached cranberries. A new spring menu will be rolling out soon, though, so don't wait too long to give it a try.

Pork belly at Celeste

Pork belly at Celeste

Carbonara-style pork belly and meatballs at Hutch3301 N. Clark St. 773-248-1155Price: $10Order it: AnytimeBeef and pork meatballs topped cozy up to diced crispy pork belly in a bacon cream sauce in this dish. Try the appetizer at the Lakeview restaurant, where it's part of the regular menu, and you'll also get grilled bread—which they won't be serving at the fest.

Bacon s'mores at Kaiser Tiger1415 W. Randolph St. 312-243-3100Price: $7Order it: Anytime after April 18This bacon-centric West Loop gastropub is using the occasion of Baconfest to add more meat to its regular dessert menu with this decadent dish, which is made with housemade roasted bacon-flavored marshmallows, chocolate-bacon bark and graham crackers.

Fat Elvis liege waffle sandwich at The Winchester1001 N. Winchester Ave. 773-698-8703Price: $12Order it: April 25 and 26Inspired by a dish chef Greg Bastien's dad made for him as a kid, this brunch special is made by cutting the Ukrainian Village restaurant's waffles in half as soon as they come off the griddle and using them to make a sandwich of bacon, peanut butter and banana.

Wild boar bacon arepa at Red Door2118 N. Damen Ave. 773-697-7221Price: $6Order it: April 21-26The week following Baconfest, the staff at this Bucktown bar plans to roast a whole pig in bacon and then chop up the meat and mix it with even more bacon to serve with an arepa baked with rendered bacon fat and topped with guacamole and chimichurri sauce.

Bacon cigar at Osteria Langhe2824 W. Armitage Ave. 773-661-1582Price: $6Order it: April 19 and 20Chopped applewood-smoked bacon is wrapped in crispy wonton, tipped with cherry sauce to represent an ember and served in bowls that resemble ashtrays at this Italian restaurant in Logan Square.